OH SH*T: David Cameron Accidentally Swims in Sewage During Holiday

When he’s not up to his neck in it in Westminster, the Prime Minister likes to submerge himself at the seaside. It has been revealed, however, that David Cameron literally went swimming in diluted sh*t during his summer break… twice.

Mr. Cameron was recently photographed frolicking in the sea with his wife, Samantha, off Polzeath in Cornwall where the family has holidayed since 2010.

However, heavy rain had fallen on Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon. Sometimes, untreated sewage is pumped into the sea as an emergency measure in such conditions, to stop it moving back into people’s homes.

Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) issues alerts to warn people against entering the water in the area, but the Camerons didn’t get the memo. They were pictured bodyboarding and swimming in the water on both Monday and Tuesday for nearly an hour.

South West Water have confirmed to The Times that they were forced to pump human excrement straight into the sea that weekend, right near Polzeath. David Smith, campaign manager for SAS, told The Times:

“If the Camerons were swimming within the time frames of a spillage they might well be at risk. There could be anything from a small health risk such as skin, eye, ear, or throat infections to much more serious conditions such as E.coli or hepatitis, which can be present within raw sewage.”

Smith said the average surfer ingests 200ml of seawater every time they go boarding, even when they try to avoid swallowing. “If surfers are using polluted waters the chance of them becoming ill raises significantly,” he said.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Prime Minister’s health has suffered during his down time. Earlier this month, he was treated for an ear infection known as swimmer’s ear, which he picked up surfing in Portugal. And last year, in Lanzarote, a jellyfish stung him.